Oskar sat up on his towel pallet. The yellow duck-with-a-black-witch-hat squeaky toy she'd remembered to bring home from Mattie's was tucked between his front legs, and he'd drunk half the water in his bowl.
"Have you determined how to maintain that beast?" Quinn asked.
Baring fangs in Quinn's direction, Oskar erupted in grunting frog-and-cricket sounds.
Evalle was coming to realize that Oskar understood some, or all, of what was said about him. "Don't insult him, Quinn."
"You're jesting, right?"
"No. I'm serious."
Quinn opened his mouth and closed it.
"I fed him raw hamburger last night. He seemed to like that, but he also opens his mouth and laps at the air, sort of like he's sucking in energy. Weird, but it works for him. And he does take exception to some of the things said around him." Evalle went over and squatted down to pet Oskar's head, calming him. "Want to go out, Osk?"
Mattie's familiar didn't jump up, wagging his bushy tail.
He stood on all four paws, walked at a dignified pace, took the long way around the table, obviously to avoid Tzader and Quinn, and paused at the door, waiting for her.
Tzader and Quinn stared at Oskar with the same expression they'd wear if Evalle started speaking in tongues.
No, actually, that probably wouldn't shock those two as much as realizing Oskar had understood her perfectly.
By the time she returned to the conference room, Storm was there with an urn of coffee, and all three men held mugs.
Lanna sat at the conference table, looking refreshed with her blonde curls contained behind a headband and wearing a purple long-sleeved knit top and jeans. Quinn must have brought her things this morning. She dipped a tea bag into a steamy cup of water and looked up at Evalle, then down at Oskar. "Who is that?"
Unlike everyone else, Lanna had addressed Oskar as a 'who,' which meant she recognized something about him. He wagged his bushy tail. Once.
Still, for Oskar, that was the equivalent of dancing around on two feet to show how pleased he was with her.
This was as good a time as any to find out if Lanna could pick up anything to help them find Mattie. Lanna set down her teacup and stood. Evalle said, "His name is Oskar. He's a familiar who belongs to a witch known as Mother Mattie. She's missing."
Lanna's eyes lit up as Evalle and Oskar came forward. "What a pretty boy."
Oskar preened. It would be hard to describe it to someone who hadn't witnessed his effort, but he literally sat up at her words.
Someone chuckled, clearly enjoying the Oskar show.
Quinn asked, "Any leads yet on the white witches?"
Evalle had stopped an arm's length away from Lanna. She hoped for any clue on finding Mattie. "No, but Lanna may be our best hope at finding her quickly. You haven't heard what happened to us this morning."
"The neck bruises?" Quinn asked.
"Yep."
That sobered Quinn and Tzader.
Evalle eased a little closer as Lanna smiled and ducked her head to meet Oskar's gaze. "Hello, Oskar. You are very special."
"Why do you say that, Lanna?" Quinn called over.
Evalle gave him a don't-screw-with-this look, but he ignored it.
Lanna said, "I feel power coming from him."
Really? Evalle hadn't picked up on that, but Lanna was special in her own way. "I thought if you petted him, you might be able to help us figure out what happened to Mattie. But turn your hand for him to sniff it first." She hoped that worked with familiars the way it did with dogs.
Lanna straightened. "I will try."
Evalle picked up Oskar and held him in her arms, facing forward. Lanna smiled again at the familiar. "Oskar, I would like to be your friend."
This girl was good.
Oskar grunted. To Evalle, it sounded happy. She could feel his excitement.
Lanna reached out slowly, showing the back of her hand.
His shaggy body wiggled with anticipation.
When Lanna's hand was an inch away, Oskar inhaled deeply and scrambled backwards. He swung around and tried to climb up Evalle's shoulder. The little guy had sharp claws.
"Ouch." She tried to pull him back down and away, but he was wailing and grunting as if something had hurt him.
Was Oskar having a panic attack?
Storm cursed, and heavy footsteps came rushing around the table. "Let me--"
"Don't!" Evalle shouted, even if it was Storm. She had to calm Oskar down, and that wouldn't happen if anyone else grabbed him.
The familiar finished crawling over her like a giant sandspur on steroids. Once he reached her neck, his front legs wrapped around each side of her like a monkey, claws still digging in.
Every spot he'd grabbed burned.
Now that a mop of gray dog hair didn't block her vision, she had a great view of a pissed-off trio--Storm, Tzader, and Quinn--all shaking with the need to do something.
"You're bleeding," Storm said, his jaw clenched tight. Tzader and Quinn were making similar noises.
Oskar clutched her neck tighter, and stuck his mouth around to snarl.
Storm growled right back at him, a noise so chilling he could have cleared an entire jungle of animals. In two seconds, he'd established himself as the alpha in the room.
Oskar quieted and pulled back behind her, whimpering. His claws curled tighter, digging deeper into her skin. Warm liquid ran on her exposed neck and upper chest.
Storm's eyes glowed bright yellow.
Red would be next.
"Not helping," Evalle told the lot of them. She slid her fingers under Oskar's paws and pried them loose, exhaling at the relief. "I'm not going to die from a couple of little claw marks so everyone just chill out."
"I am sorry, Evalle," Lanna said in a heartbreaking tone.
"It's not your fault," Evalle told her softly. "He hasn't taken to anyone but me for some reason. Everyone please back up and give me some space for a minute."
Tzader, Quinn, and Lanna moved all the way around the big conference table.
Storm took one step back. That was as much as she could expect from him.
Squatting down, Evalle lifted the stiff legs and said, "Oskar, you can get down now. I'm going to let go of you."
She released his front legs.
Using his hind legs for a little push, he dropped to the floor on all fours.
The second she stood, she called up her inner beast, the Alterant side of her that lay dormant until needed. Just a few months ago, shifting had meant turning into a powerful but hideous monster form. Now that she'd evolved all the way, she could shift into a gryphon.
Of course, she and the others like her did not have authorization to do so in this world. Just another way of handcuffing Alterants around the rest of the preternaturals in the world.
For the moment, she drew just enough power from her Alterant side to close the wounds, but not enough to call her beast all the way to the surface. Storm left the room and returned with a wet washcloth to wipe off the blood.
Oskar slinked over to his pallet, pulled his yellow witch ducky to him, and curled up. So pitiful.
Evalle frowned, trying to make sense of it. "I don't think he meant to react that way to Lanna, and I know he didn't mean to hurt me."
Storm sliced an angry look at her neck then sighed. "I know. Oskar was terrified."
"Exactly, but what would make him react that way? He clearly doesn't tolerate men, but at first it looked like he might allow Lanna to touch him."
Quinn suggested, "It appeared that he scented something about Lanna that panicked him."
Tzader grumbled under his breath and scrubbed at his bloodshot eyes. "That's a dead end for finding Mattie. What else have we got for locating the witches, Quinn?"
"Trey, Lucien, Casper, and a new guy called Emilio are searching."
"Can Emilio be trusted?"
"I think so," Quinn said with an easy confidence. "He and Sen have gotten into it a couple of times because Emilio question
ed Sen's orders. I stepped in on the new guy's behalf."
Evalle snorted. "That couldn't have gone over well."
"No, but the guy had just helped us save a Belador from a troll attack. He's new and no one wants to partner with him. It's been up to me to put Emilio on cases, and he's worked alongside Beladors with no issues. He seems to be an adept chap and he's quiet, always willing to do his part. If he doesn't find a place in this region, VIPER may send him somewhere else. Emilio has a son in Canada he wants to bring here, but not until he feels his child will be safe. Sen made it clear that he can't choose agents based on rug rats. In retaliation for Emilio's questioning him in front of other agents, Sen has taken him off field assignments that pay more and has him doing errands for VIPER. That basically means Emilio has time on his hands and is knocked back to half pay. That's not what he wants when he's trying to get settled to bring his kid here."
That bastard, Sen. Evalle would like to backhand whoever moved the rock that let him crawl out and escape.
Tzader suggested, "Let's get busy with all we have to get done. Evalle and Storm can tell us what they found at Mattie's, then we'll need to work out..." His gaze jumped to Lanna. "The rest of the issues at hand."
Quinn caught the hint. "Lanna, please excuse us."
"You need me," Lanna argued.
All three overprotective men said, "No!"
Evalle glared at the trio. She didn't want Lanna harmed either, but they could have just said so. Storm had the good sense to look apologetic.
Lanna gave the men a classic teenage eye roll. "I know you are doing something to save Brina. If you have to go somewhere secretly, you will need to move around without being seen, yes?"
Evalle had to admit that the young woman had a valid point, and Lanna didn't even know what they were planning.
Lanna took advantage of her opening and pointed out, "I can cloak you, but I will need to be with you. Does not work from a distance."
Evalle sent a telepathic message to Quinn. Lanna is right, but Adrianna can cloak us and has far more power--or at least she has far more control of her power. Besides, we need Adrianna's input on this mission. She should be up and about by now.
Quinn didn't reply to Evalle, but told Lanna, "If we find ourselves in need of your skills, I will discuss it with you. For now, I would appreciate it if you'd allow us to have our meeting."
To do anything but comply would make Lanna look like a ranting teen when she wanted to be treated as an adult, which she was at the age of eighteen. Good luck convincing Quinn of that.
Lanna expelled a long sigh intended to let everyone know they were wasting her exceptional skills.
There was a certain truth to that, but Quinn had lost her and Kizira at the same time. Thankfully, Lanna had returned with Brina. Quinn would not bend when it came to avoiding putting her at risk again.
They all waited for Lanna to make it up to the next floor and shut her apartment door, then for Storm to confirm that she was no longer in the hall.
Evalle checked on Oskar. Poor little guy seemed to be hiding his face, so she took a place at that end of the table again. She told Storm, "I sent a message to Quinn that we do need cloaking, but Adrianna can do it. We'll have to ask her, but the way I see it, we're going to need her help for sure with breaking the curse to free the dragon."
Tzader, the only one still standing, put his mug down and kept moving around, looking too antsy to be still. "She's never been to TAmr Medb, has she?"
"No, but do you know about Veronika and Witchlock?"
"Quinn filled me in." Tzader pinched his lips, frowning in thought. "Powerful witch from the KievRus coven in Ukraine came here to take possession of Witchlock, but when the time came Adrianna took it?"
"That pretty much sums it up. But Adrianna didn't want Witchlock. She had a twin, very powerful Sterling witch, although Adrianna was no slouch at the time. Veronika cooked her twin's majik as part of the process of taking over the power. When everything in the universe lined up just right, Witchlock descended as a tornado, and Adrianna's sister begged Adrianna to take the power. That was the only way to free her sister's spirit, because the body was gone. Adrianna did, and it's a good thing or we'd all be hunting for somewhere to hide. Veronika intended to wipe out anyone with power who wouldn't be her slave."
"Damn."
"Right." Evalle's phone rang. She pulled it out and muttered, "Speak of the devil," before answering the phone. "Funny you should call now, Adrianna. I was about to call you."
"My reason for calling is not a bit funny. I left you two messages."
Evalle thumbed her phone. Huh. Yep, two messages. "What's up?"
"I'm making a delivery. Where are you?" Adrianna snapped.
"At our new building." Evalle gave her the location. "Just press the buzzer by the garage. What are you delivering?"
"I'll be there in six minutes. I want tea. Good tea." Adrianna hung up.
"She's on the way," Evalle said. "She has something to drop off and doesn't sound happy about it."
"Finish telling us why you think Adrianna can break the curse on the dragon," Tzader said, but he had a distant look in his eyes.
Something about the Sterling witch bothered him?
Evalle replied, "I'm still not clear on everything that happened to Adrianna when she accepted Witchlock. There's probably no way to know for sure if she can break the curse until she sees the dragon throne, but she might have some insights."
Storm interjected, "I could feel the difference in her energy when she walked up to us after it all went down." He looked over at Evalle. "She cloaked you with little more than a thought."
"Right. She'd gone to far more effort to cloak the two of us only a half hour before, and that cloaking was very limited." Evalle thought back on that day. "Here's the thing. Veronika inadvertently opened a channel to Adrianna's twin that, when everything was over, allowed Adrianna access to some of Veronika's thoughts. Adrianna found out that Veronika had more ambitious plans than anyone suspected, and that Veronika specifically wanted the dragon from TAmr Medb."
The room went silent. Tzader's head snapped up and he stared at Evalle. "The dragon throne?"
Evalle said, "We need to ask her if she can tell whether that dragon was the throne dragon, and see if she's gained anything from Veronika since then."
Quinn quietly stirred his coffee. "I doubt Adrianna has picked up any telepathic noise or impressions since we locked Veronika away beneath VIPER headquarters."
"I don't know."
A buzzer sounded at the garage entrance.
Evalle jumped up. "That's got to be Adrianna."
Storm crossed the room in two strides. "It's daylight outside. Let me get it."
Evalle followed as far as the open space that would eventually be the lobby, and waited while she heard Storm speak to someone.
Boots tapped a brisk staccato from the garage, across the concrete floor through the door to the lobby.
For a short woman, Adrianna made the most of her size through meticulous choice of clothes. She'd wrapped her voluptuous body in a black denim jacket, black turtleneck, and black jeans. Blonde hair that normally fell loose around her shoulders had been pulled back, revealing a smooth oval face, smoky blue eyes, and ruby lips.
One smile from her and most men would drop to their knees to give her what she wanted.
Not Storm, though.
Evalle smiled over the thought, but she no longer had concerns around this Sterling witch.
Irritation snapped in Adrianna's gaze the minute hers met Evalle's. She stopped, arms crossed. "They're all yours now."
Evalle shook herself mentally. "Who?"
A pair of twin teenage males entered next, with Storm right behind them. Kardos and Kellman had changed in the short time they'd been away. They were close to six feet tall, their bright blond hair had darkened to a rich gold, and someone had trimmed the wavy locks. They were dangerously attractive for seventeen-year-olds.
Storm swept aroun
d the trio and, as he continued past Evalle, he slowed to whisper, "Good luck."
What was that all about? "Hi guys," she called to the boys, who both showed off their infectious grins.
Kellman had always been the quiet one she could depend on to use common sense.
Kardos, however, tested the limits of Evalle's patience at every turn.
She had the strange urge to give them a hug, but she'd only recently started accepting hugs from a very few people and was still feeling her way. These two were homeless street kids. Out of respect for their space, she squashed the idea of a public embrace.
Adrianna looked like she might need a hug, but Evalle would defer to someone else for that. Best to keep a reasonable distance from a witch that powerful who looked close to exploding.
"Thank you," Evalle told Adrianna. "I planned on picking them up this week." But she'd rather shove a stick in her eye than take Storm anywhere near Isak Nyght, even though Isak had recently shown an interest in Adrianna. Two months back, when the twins were at risk from Svart Trolls invading the city, Evalle had asked Isak's mom, Kit, if she'd keep them away from the trouble for a few days.
A few days had turned into weeks, then into months.
Evalle had to find a way to thank Kit for her generosity. The boys had filled out some, which meant they'd been active and had eaten on a regular basis. Before Kit, Evalle and her Nightstalker, Grady, had done their best to watch over the twins, but that wasn't the same as a stable home. Kit had been good for these two.
"You're welcome. You owe me," Adrianna said through clamped jaws.
Oh boy, now what? "I'll reimburse your gas."
"I don't want money. We'll talk about your debt later."
How much trouble could it have been to drive them from the Nyght facility forty-five minutes away, to downtown Atlanta? There was more to this. Adrianna enjoyed driving, and wouldn't make a big deal out of a simple favor.
Kardos leaned forward, getting close to Adrianna's ear, and spoke in a conspiratorial tone. "You never gave me your number for that date."
Adrianna ignored him, but lifted a sharp, perfectly shaped eyebrow in a see-what-I-have-to-deal-with motion.
Evalle warned Kardos, "Trust me, she's so far out of your league you'd need the Hubble telescope to figure it out."
"No woman is out of my league."
Spare me from teenage hormones.
Adrianna added, "I was at the Nyght facility when Isak asked me to drop them off before Kit decided to bring them."